Jones Day eliminates 65 jobs in its technology department

Jones Day, the venerable law firm that employs the largest number of attorneys in Northeast Ohio, said it has eliminated 65 positions in its technology department.
Forty-five of those job cuts are in Cleveland, and 20 are throughout the firm's footprint, said Chris Kelly, partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office. Approximately 200 technology positions remain. Most of the law firm's back-office support staff is in Cleveland, Mr. Kelly said.
The employees received notice of the job eliminations this morning and have been offered severance pay and outplacement services. No attorney positions were cut.
After “an intensive analysis” of the Jones Day's technology support function, its executives decided a reorganized technology function would improve the effectiveness and the cost of its services to clients, the firm said in a release.
“Technology has enabled us to reorganize how we run our technology, requiring fewer people,” Mr. Kelly said. “It's no different than what our clients do. Everyone's continually looking at their infrastructure to see if they can run things more efficiently.
“We are trying to operate as efficiently as possible,” he added. “In this day and age, you have to. If you're not, someone else will be.”
Besides announcing the job cut, Jones Day said Michael Fick will end his service as its director of technology June 30 and will be replaced July 22 by William Gregory, who has spent 14 years at the Hogan Lovells law firm in Washington, D.C. Jones Day in its news release thanked Mr. Fick for his decade of service to the firm.
“I'm expecting our employees to ask me how the firm's doing,” Mr. Kelly said. “The firm's doing great. This office is doing great. Certainly our clients will see the benefit of us having a lower cost structure and more efficient delivery of services.”
Mr. Kelly said he couldn't specify what those benefits will be, however.